Abortion Survivor Speaks at MSU

Abortion Survivor Speaks at MSU

Every year around the world, more than 40 million women get an abortion, but Thursday night at MSU, one woman shared her experience with abortion to try and educate people on the importance of adoption as an alternative to abortion.

Melissa Ohden's story began in 1977 when her biological mother tried to abort her.

Ohden said her biological mother was a 19-year-old, unmarried college student at the time.

When she was 6 months pregnant, Ohden's mother tried having a saline infusion abortion, a common procedure in the 70's but one that is no longer used in medicine.

"From what I've been told, she delivered me there at the hospital and they believed that I was dead and they left me for dead in the hospital room," said Ohden, "and by the grace of God, as a nurse was still there tending to my birth-mother, she looked over and realized I was making small movements and gasping for breath and that's when the doctors and nurses stepped in and provided me with the care I needed to sustain my life.

Ohden said after she lived through the abortion, she was adopted by a loving family who taught her how to live a Godly life-style and forgive her biological parents.

Now, Ohden travels the world to share her story.

She said speaking at events like the Inheritance Adoption Fundraiser Thursday night at MSU allows her a chance to encourage young mothers about the importance of adoption.

"I don't know if everybody realizes, but there are more families who are waiting to adopt a child than there are children available to be adopted," said Ohden,"and if we wonder why that is, we can look at children like me and realize that's because those children aren't ever given the gift of life to then be given the gift of adoption."

Ohden said there are around 44,000 people alive in the U.S. today who are abortion survivors.

She said part of her mission is also to reach those people too, and let them know they're not alone.

Melissa Ohden is also working on a book right now, but she does have a video out sharing her story.